Former pro Gunderson gives 'wisdom' back to Legacy 76 teammates

WILLIAMSBURG — Even when he’s on the field, coaching has almost become a natural reaction for Legacy 76 midfielder Jamie Gunderson.

It’s hard to blame Gunderson. After two years of roaming the sidelines as an assistant coach with the Christopher Newport University women’s soccer team, it’s sometimes tricky to turn back into “player mode.”

“It’s almost second nature now,” said Gunderson, a Denbigh High graduate. “I’m still transitioning from player to a coach. I always thought of myself like this, someone who can tell guys to try something different next time, to get them better.”

Gunderson decided to ply his trade with Legacy 76 this summer after finishing a full year of play in 2011-12 with the Norfolk SharX, a former professional indoor soccer franchise. After the team folded in 2012, Gunderson transferred his skills from the field to the bench as a youth coach with the Virginia Legacy Soccer Club and the CNU women’s program.

Second-year Captains coach Dan Weiler worked with Gunderson for a full season in 2013-14 before promoting the 26-year-old to a full-time assistant coach this spring. Weiler credits Gunderson’s talent as a coach to being relatable with the young athletes he interacts with at Legacy 76 and CNU.

“He can talk the talk and walk the walk, as a coach for sure, and as a player,” Weiler said. “He brings the rapport with the athletes. He’s old enough that there’s a good level of respect, but also young enough that they can relate to him.”

After finishing a four-year collegiate playing career at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C., Gunderson passed an open trial with the SharX in 2011. The midfielder said it gave him a new outlook on how to reach the professional level, a lesson he’s passed down to his fellow teammates who yearn for a chance of their own. Whether he’s on the practice field or driving some teammates to Williamsburg for training, Gunderson likes to “put in my two cents.”

“I feel like I have that role as one of the older guys out there,” he said. “I can give the younger guys some perspective of what they’re doing out there, give them on-the-field coaching. I think I’m a mentor in that regard.”

It’s a lesson that Legacy 76 teammate Jalon Brown takes to heart each day. He’s seen how head player-coach Eric Dutt can bring on Gunderson late in games, using the midfielder’s pace and vision to create goal-scoring opportunities.

Brown says the team uses Gunderson as a model in training of how to deal with quicker attackers.

“If we can work against someone like him in a practice, we know how to deal with it in a game,” Brown said. “It’s just useful for all of us.”

Striker Robert Alberti, a former Kecoughtan High School standout, said having Gunderson come off the bench brings a “sense of wisdom” among a youthful squad. Half of the Legacy 76 roster still plays collegiate soccer.

“There’s a physical and a mental side to soccer,” Alberti said. “So when a player’s not having the best game, he’ll talk to them and give them the insight. It’ll be productive to me and help me compete.”

That just makes the job easier for Dutt. He’s been involved with coaching Legacy 76 youth teams for 2 1/2 years before the club announced it would field a team to play in the National Premier Soccer League in 2014. The NPSL is considered to be the fourth tier in American soccer.

“He’s the model for what other players should look to become,” Dutt said. “A local guy who worked hard as a youth player, a college player, made it as a pro player, and now he’s gone on to become a coach. That’s what we want for our program.”